Advocacy Adventure

MANILA, Philippines - “Going off the beaten track” is a life verse the Team BUNDOL Mountaineers take seriously. So serious, in fact, that since the group formally started in 2011, they have uncovered several trekking sites within Sarangani province that have never been reached and written about – at least not until they walked in with a bagful of school supplies and saplings.

In a span of three years they have redefined the meaning of two things: first is bundol, second is adventure.

Bundol is a Hiligaynon term that means lame or slow – it borders on derogatory and is often used to refer to people who have nothing better to do. Literally. The five founders of the group, however, have made a transformative move to change the connotation of bundol – they are the Backpackers United for the Defense of Life.

From a loose group of friends who loved to hike, the organization evolved to an advocacy that attempts to change the trend in mountaineering. And about adventure.

For the team, journeys do not always end in a mountain peak: they culminate in distant schools attended by kids from the B’laan tribe or plant nurseries established for the restoration of sites endangered by the kaingin (slash and burn) system. Clearly, adventure is a mere bonus to the three causes championed by the Sarangani group: tourism, environmental protection and education.

“We learned from the locals that schools in far-flung areas do not have books. We knew from DepEd and QUEST (a local education development initiative) that, although there are books allotted for those schools, bringing them to the areas is very difficult. Since we are mountaineers and we frequently go to these places, we thought of bringing the books to the sitios we visit,” says Ariel Lalisan, head of Team Bundol.

In 2011, Team Bundol first took 100 mountaineers to their newly discovered site called Atnayan Waterfalls, in Sitio Canaan, Brgy. Pag-Asa, Alabel, Sarangani. This was the first run of EcoTrek, an activity that has become an annual event organized by the team to transport school supplies and saplings in bulk with some help from newbie mountaineers. It is definitely no walk in the park considering the added load – paper and books that cannot get wet while crossing a river, or young and fragile plants that have to be kept alive during, say, a four-hour rough trek.

It was in the second run of EcoTrek that the team established a plant nursery in Basyawan Falls, also in Alabel. The feat involved cooperation and buy-in from the local community to take care of the seeds and ensure transfer and growth in locations deemed necessary.

“Hindi lang dapat tree-planting, dapat tree-growing,” adds Lalisan. Naturally, not all seedlings planted in a clearing would become full grown trees. It indeed takes a community to grow a tree.

EcoTrek went as far as having Team Bundol recognized in the 11th Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Awards as the Coke Barkada Awardee. TAYO is the country’s only award-giving body that recognizes and supports outstanding contributions of youth organizations to the Philippines, including disaster relief, education, environmental protection and livelihood. It is run by the TAYO Awards Foundation, National Youth Commission, office of Senator Bam Aquino and Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines.

It was upon receipt of the Coke Barkada Award that Team Bundol got noticed by the local government of Sarangani led by Governor Steve Solon.

Lalisan mentioned that Solon has been very supportive of the work done by civil society organizations like Team Bundol.

“Since the creation of the province in 1992, maraming NGOs na ang pumapasok sa Sarangani,” confirms Solon, adding that in order for the work to become cohesive, he usually conducts a meeting with cause-oriented organizations to lay out targets and assign responsibilities.

“The support that Sarangani is giving to organizations like Team Bundol is an example of the golden triangle at work. It is with the cooperation and coordination of the private sector, government and civil society that we are able to roll our projects that truly have impact. Coca-Cola is glad to be working with Ariel’s group for a project as amazing as EcoTrek,” adds Adel Tamano, VP for Public Affairs and Communication of Coca-Cola Philippines, at the sidelines of a check turnover ceremony between the beverage giant and Team Bundol. 

As the winner of the Coke Barkada Award, Team Bundol was given P30,000 to be used for their projects.

For this team of climbers, the adventure is not just in the climb, but in the challenge of the mission, and as they scale peaks to accomplish their missions, it could only get more exciting and fulfilling.

The author is president of the Coca-Cola Foundation.